Give A Reason
by Shiho Hahnenfuss
Summary: An AU fic, set in the modern world. Meet the Slayers, an upcoming rock band led by the singing genius, Lina Inverse! The road to fame, however, isn't as easy as it seems...


**A/N:** Well, here I am with The Fic That Latched On And Wouldn't Let Go. ^_^;; I'm supposed to write Fushigi Yuugi and Ruouni Kenshin stuff, but this fic wouldn't let me write the others!! It's alive, I tell you! ^^;; Oh well… Enjoy, and be kind.

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**Give A Reason**

**Chapter 1: Star Attraction**

_Twaaaaing._

He frowned at the instrument in the semi-darkness of the small room. Fiddling a little with the pegs at the end, he strummed the guitar.

_Twaaiiiing._

Annoyed, he glared at the guitar, like a manager glares at a subordinate for refusal to take orders. He turned a few pegs and strummed again.

_Twaaauung._

Perfect, he thought, smirking.

"You done yet? We're on in two minutes, so haul your ass outta there already!" The loud thumping on the door did little to startle him, nor did the screechy yelling of his fellow band member.

However, it DID remind him that he had a job to do. Slinging the leather strap attached at both ends to the guitar, he cradled it under his arm and opened the door.

"Let's get this show on the road."

**~*~**

As with all places where the chance for musical entertainment and the privilege of standing for an hour without chairs to scream and wave your hands in the air is offered, the Sonata LiveHouse was packed to the brim with fans of the night's star attraction (which was somewhat obvious if one glanced at the numerous posters of said attraction plastered to the walls outside the establishment).

And as with all places packed to the brim with fans, any delay in the night's event was a sure-fire way of provoking the crowd's annoyance.

The reedy, flimsy manager-person that walked onstage and meekly coughed into the mike was another, of course.

The crowd yelled and boo-ed loudly and a veritable hailstorm of typical riot projectiles such as mushy bananas, rotten eggs and green Jell-O assailed the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen—" An egg splatted on the man's shiny shoes. "…we apologize for the delay, and—" A banana squelched and flopped to the floor, leaving a nice yellow stain on the man's suit. "…we assure you that the foreplayers will be here in a few moments, so—" Something hard and round bounced off the man's forehead, sending him stumbling a few steps backward. "…please be patient for a few—"

"No need for that, we're here!"

The hapless manager blinked in confusion, saw the speaker and gladly fled off the stage. The newcomer shrugged and sighed.

"Oh well…this wouldn't have happened if Jellyfish brains hadn't been napping…you guys ready?" Murmurs of assent from the back. The newcomer grinned and picked up the fallen mike.

"Yo, people! How're all of ya feeling tonight?" The racket paused for a few seconds.

"What're you doing up there? We want the REAL show, not some flat-chested dweeb!" a voice called out. Some others joined in the jeering.

A vein popped up on the girl's (an obvious conclusion as to the mystery of the newcomer's gender, given the fact that males do not normally have extra baggage in certain upper areas) forehead. "…Flat-chested?"

She would have throttled the jerk on the spot, but a voice from the back stopped her.

"Don't let it get to you, Miss Lina! Just show them what you can do!"

"Yeah, let's sock their knocks off!" another voice chimed in.

"That's 'knock their socks off'…"

Lina grinned at the others. 

"Gotcha. Hit it!"

The spotlights flashed at that very moment, dramatically illuminating the four people on the stage.

Then the instruments kicked in.

**~*~**

Rapid pounding of drums, wild yet rhythmic, a fast tempo from a blend of harsh taps and dull thuds, short sticks alternating as they rapped against metal and hide.

_memagurushii jikan no mure ga_

_hashiri nukeru machi wa SABANNA_

_kawaru ga waru SYU-RU na NYU-SU_

_asu ni nareba daremo wasurete'ru_

Skillful fingers flying across braided steel, coaxing smooth tremors vibrating through amplifiers strategically placed to bring out the full effect; a myriad of notes soaring from the skies to the earth, blending with the beat.

_ikite-iru, ima ikite-iru_

_sonna naka de nanika wo motome_

_mogaku you ni nukedasu you ni_

_kono chikara wo tameshite mitakute_

A third, flowing and entwining itself with the other two, synthesized chords harmonizing, coordinating, completing the gaps in the melody as nimble fingers caressed yielding keys and produced a glorious symphony.

_kitto dokoka ni "kotae" aru_

_umarete-kita kotae ga_

_hito wa minna, sore wo motome_

_yarusenai nogasenai yume ni mukau no_

And a voice sang, giving form to the shapeless, molding the music into wonderful song, reverberating throughout the room, the words speaking to the souls of the listeners.

_kizutsuku koto wa kowakunai_

_dakedo kesshite tsuyokunai_

_tada, nanimo shinai mama de_

_kuyandari wa shitakunai_

Here we go! go!_ hashiri-tsudzukeru_

_dare ni mo tomerare wa shinai_

_mirai no jibun e to_

Give a reason for life_ todoketai___

**~*~**

"Now THAT was one hell of a show we put on!"

Lina Inverse, self-proclaimed beautiful talented musical genius, lead singer for the brand-new band known as the _Slayers_¸ grinned with satisfaction as she slumped backwards into the plush couch conveniently placed in the performer's dressing room.

After their performance that night, they had received a stunning amount of applause, whoops and cheers from the crowd. Even the people who had insulted Lina in the beginning offered an apology (which Lina graciously accepted after they'd praised her petite looks). All in all, it was a good night.

"That was fun!" commented Gourry Gabriev, the golden-haired drummer of the group. "It was great, having the chance to play in front of a big crowd."

Lina aimed a playful swat at the man's shoulder, missed due to a major height difference, and ended up whacking his upper arm instead. 

"Ow! What was that for?"

"We nearly missed the performance because of you!"

He flopped onto the couch beside the redhead. "We did? What'd I do?"

She groaned. "Because you were still napping here fifteen seconds AFTER we were supposed to be on, lunkhead. Good thing that Filia sent that guy out to stall 'em, or else we might've missed our chance for the _Slayers_' first debut!"

Gourry hung his arm over the couch and leaned back. "Well, it turned out fine in the end, didn't it?"

"You never get worked up about anything, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind…"

"That wasn't a real debut," a new voice pointed out.

Lina blinked. "What do YOU mean?"

Zelgadis Greywers, guitarist of the _Slayers_, shook his head slowly. "Foreplaying does not count as a 'debut'. Technically, this performance was just an appetizer to the main course, which was the real show."

At the mention of the word 'appetizer', Gourry started wondering if the band would be given refreshments afterward. He was starting to feel hungry.

"If we're lucky," continued Zelgadis, "and that's a big 'if'… we might be invited to perform for a whole night next time, instead of just one song." His mouth twitched in a bitter smile. "Then again, considering the fact that there are over a thousand wannabe bands like us out there, we've got an icicle's chance in hell to get our big break."

"We can't be pessimistic, Mr. Zelgadis! Since we did our best and put our heart into it, we will triumph above all our rivals!" another voice piped up enthusiastically. Amelia Will Tesla Seyruun, keyboard player and prospective heir of Seyruun Industries, pumped her fist into the air. "The crowds who gathered before us tonight have surely been touched by our song and will demand our presence once again!"

Zelgadis sighed and folded his arms, but couldn't avoid a teeny grin. Lina massaged her forehead. Gourry just continued thinking about food.

"You know, Amelia, sometimes your naiveté is—"

The singer's opinion on Amelia's personality was cut off as the door swung open and a blond lady stormed in, a dark cloud of…darkness following behind.

Filia Ul Copt, manager of the _Slayers _a.k.a. Scary Dragon O' Doom ™, put her hands on her hips and gave everyone present a glare.

"Three whole minutes late!!" she yelled. Lina tried to disappear into the couch as Zelgadis carried his chair from under him and inched away in a futile attempt to avoid being targets of the manager's fury. Amelia meekly backed off. "I swear, in all my years doing this job, you are the first to achieve the new record for tardiness. Congratulations!" she commented sarcastically.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. It turned out fine in the end, didn't it?" Lina said in what she considered a pacifying tone, waving her hands in a 'don't-hurt-me-I'm-innocent' pose. Amelia absently noted that Lina was repeating Gourry's words, but any other thought that could have led from there was cut off.

"Yes, but people won't tolerate that kind of thing if it happens again!" The blond woman took a deep breath, exhaled and tried to calm down. Anger is bad, anger is bad, control control control… Successfully pushing down her annoyance, she frowned at them. "You almost missed your performance completely, and the main show—"

"—was not too pleased to know that their show would be delayed," Zelgadis finished.

"Exactly."

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Gee, you'd think that a super-famous rock band'd have the decency to be a little patient."

Said band was the DHM, or the _Demon HellMasters_; the No.1 band of the country, the latest heartthrobs of teenage girls everywhere, whose images decorated the Sonata LiveHouse's walls (and bedrooms in most households) and whose music filtered through the doors of many a CD store.

But enough about that.

"Look, guys—" A glance from Lina and Amelia. "—and girls, the point is that we can't afford another stunt like that. As it is, the DHM are already irritated at us, and that's never a good thing."

"It isn't?"

Filia sighed in exasperation.

"Music industry politics," Zelgadis explained. "In other words, the more popular a band, the more influence it has. And when said band has a lot of influence…"

"…it pushes the minors around," Amelia finished.

"Exactly."

"That's not very fair, is it, Miss Filia?"

"It isn't…but when it comes to competition, anything goes."

The five of them fell into silence, contemplating what this could mean to the career of the band. A few minutes later, a knock on the door interrupted their thoughts.

"Come on in."

The messenger walked in and handed a paper to Lina, who blinked and skimmed it. She bit back a curse.

"What's it about?" Amelia peeked over Lina's shoulder. The latter groaned for the second time that night.

_To the members of the _Slayers,

            _The Demon HellMasters group performance today was delayed due to unforeseen accidents on your part. In the light of these circumstances, Mazoku Music Inc. has decided on a meeting on Tuesday to advise your band on certain guidelines required during performances in future._

_                                                                                                                                                            Signed,_

_                                                                                                                                                            Xellos Metallium_

_                                                                                                                                                            Mazoku Music Inc._

"This is not good," Zelgadis remarked.

"You're telling me."

"Why? I thought appetizers would be a good idea…" Gourry commented.

Long pause.

"Jellyfish brains! Don't you ever pay attention?!" A loud thwack followed as Lina hit him with the nearest portable object: Zelgadis' chair. A metal one.

Gourry slumped over with swirly eyes.

Lina grinned sheepishly. "Oops?"

**TBC…**


End file.
